Review – Star Trek Prodigy: Lost and Found s01e01-02

The third animated Star Trek series has now premiered and revealed a different take on things than any that have come before it.  Undoubtedly, ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ is intended for a younger audience, but like most things, that doesn’t mean it needs to be dumbed down or dull.  *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*

There are many elements here that are new to Star Trek series, including that this entirely relies on computer animation, so has a slightly different look to everything else in the Trek universe.  It also focuses on a set of main characters that aren’t in Starfleet, or even the Federation.  It’s a rag tag bunch that doesn’t even include any humans due to the Delta Quadrant setting.

The plot in this first double episode, ‘Lost and Found’, sees all these characters in some way connected to the Tars Lamora prison colony, whether they be part of the system, or prisoners.  Run by the mysterious Diviner (John Noble), it is a ruthless and miserable place, policed by his robot henchman Drednok (Jimmi Simpson).  Also assisting him is his 17-year-old daughter Gwyn (Ella Purnell), although she is a little more reluctant than Drednok.

Hiding somewhere on the asteroid is an escaped prisoner, Zero (Angus Imrie), a non-corporeal Medusan, who wears a containment suit to stop everyone from going mad on sight.  Zero has found an abandoned Starfleet vessel, the USS Protostar, and using telepathy, influences a young optimist, Dal (Brett Gray), into finding his way to the ship.  Along the way he gains a few odd companions, such as Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), a big rock like creature, and the engineer Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas).  Once on board, they manage to escape the prison, only to have no idea what to do next.

What’s interesting about this show straight away is that it doesn’t feel like a Star Trek one at all.  If anything, it feels a lot more like a Star Wars spin-off, and that suggestion comes from the robot guards, Drednok, and especially the soundtrack.  Until we see the ship and ultimately the holographic Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) at the end, this could easily have been passed off as something from the Star Wars universe.  It’s a strange choice and is probably just influenced too much by other animated shows, or by a desire to merge the two concepts.  It’s not clear if this will work in the long run, but it does hang together here.

This means that aside from a sliver of compassion and remorse from Gwyn, there doesn’t appear to be the typical Star Trek moral thread running through Prodigy.  So far it is much more action and comedy quip orientated than examining ‘big themes’ or having intense character studies.  Obviously, as a more ‘child friendly’ show this isn’t too much of a surprise, but equally you would have thought there would be a suggestion of it.  Potentially, this could appear as the series continues, with all the main characters being influenced by Janeway.

Essentially though, right from the start Prodigy seems like a pretty solid show.  It may not be quintessential Trek, and Disney may have something to say about some elements being lifted from Star Wars, but it is entertaining.  Whether you’re a child or an adult, this will probably work for you.